Ephemeral Objects —10: Maude Vôs

I’ve been thinking a lot about vulnerability. The how and what and especially the where of it all. The where is most likely a dancefloor in a room where you can be whatever you are at four in the morning, which is usually something fairly desperate and tender and strange and nobody judges you. Nobody says pull yourself together. The music selected does something and you stand there and let it and that is the transaction. That is the whole social contract (or at least the platonic ideal). The room will provide this sound and it will find the thing you’re hiding and it will hold it for a while and you won’t have to explain anything to anyone. Not now. Not ever.

Just be there.

How does this relate to Maude Vôs? The Delusional Records co-founder collected vinyl as a teenager (the good stuff: miami bass, drum and bass, dubstep) and finding/hearing/creating new sounds is the same impulse and transaction. You’re young and the world is wrong and nothing fits and then a record finds you and something in your chest goes oh. Oh right. There it is. The feeling is cracked wide open, has shown its shape and thank Allah you’re not alone.

Maude Vôs says it straight. “My art is a direct reflection of self. It is how I connect to the world, found healing, and how I process the heavy moments I have experienced.” This transparency of self is extremely vulnerable and there’s bravery in showing your heart and taking charge of your world.

You see it in their actions. Before the label, they were in Salt Lake City teaching audio production to at-risk youth and young women. With the label, they released over 150 FLINTA, LGBTQ, BIPOC and API artists across 27 releases, building doors to rooms that weren’t really there before or atleast very hard to find. Every generation builds rooms and some of those rooms last and some of them don’t, but the ones that matter are the ones where someone said come in, it’s alright, you can be whatever you are in here.

You also hear their reflection in their releases on Delusional Records along with other seminal bass music labels such as Woozy, YUKU, and Scuffed, which find them sounding self-assured yet always searching. The attempt in creation is asking if this sound translates to the feeling truthfully. I certainly think it does. The first half of their Astral Intervals EP and the single off the new unreleased EP Medicinal Properties show a tenderness that interplays with the dark physicality of bass music. The duality within the expressed self sounds true. It also sounds brilliant.

Truth and transparency of the self is vulnerability. The aforementioned rooms allow for that vulnerability. (We just didn’t call it that because in some of the rooms we were off our nut and that somehow is perceived as cheapening the experience.)

So get in that room before you talk yourself out of it. You’ve been outside long enough.

In Ephemeral Objects —10, Maude Vôs brings us ~5 objects which show us that in a world that sometimes feels too fast and without any weight, patience, materiality and reciprocity is paramount.

They also made a wonderful mix spanning a wide range of styles that excellently showcase their playful and precise nature.

Be sure to check out their music, the Delusional Records excellent back catalog and catch them at the next Ephemeral Objects x Ommaya x Delusional Records party this Saturday (5/2/2026) with Entranas, Maude Vôs, Joey, and noRecall b2b Sawyer James.

Look closer, stay a while.

OBJECT 1: Garden & House Plants

Now it’s hard to call a garden or plants an object, but here we are at one of my biggest inspirations. Growing food, flowers (for the bees) & oxygenating house plants reconnects me to nature. It’s the process of patience and curation. I think of gardening much like music actually, planting seeds is to bring a musical idea about, then those seeds/ideas begin to grow arms, bear fruit and nourish us, and become fully formed. Needless to say if I’m ever stuck in the studio, I head to the garden, work for a bit and return clear and refreshed. One of my biggest goals for the future is creating more accessible garden spaces and meshing the space of music and gardens (shout out to ZZ in the Bay, and her Notes of Moss event already doing this, sooo inspiring).

OBJECT 2: Art

The collage painting in the blue frame has hung in my home for over a decade now and was created by my dear friend Marwan Nahl. It is a collage + oil piece, full of animals, color and different landmarks entitled “The Three Apes”. There’s a whimsical fantasy feel to it that I just love. Marwan’s use of color is something that really makes his work unique.

The moth painting is by my friend Casey Blandford, who was actually one of my first production mentors about 15 years ago. Moths are model organisms which really signify how an ecosystem is doing and of course I love all pollinators.

2 Collages: I made these two recently and have really always loved collaging since I was about 12. There’s something in repurposing and recreating with materials that exist and not over thinking it. I really think of “arrangement” in audio as a sound collage. Having other creative outlets besides music really carries over when I am in the studio.

OBJECT 3: Studio Books+ Boombox:

I have a few 1980s/1990s boomboxes in my studio. It’s nostalgic as these were the first machines I listened to music on via tape and radio. Maybe this is where my love of buttons and knobs comes from, but I will always love a physicality to music. Clicking a tape in, rewinding it, hearing it coil, pressing play, there’s something really special about it.

Additionally, my books are all audio reference books and musical topics I have studied over the years. If I ever feel a little at odds of where to go next I usually search for what is next on my reading list. My last EP, Astral Intervals, was completely inspired by the 3 books on top of the boombox that explore the concept of musical metaphysics and the studies of ancient celestial harmony.

OBJECT 4: Shells

Finding shells on my beach walks feel like the modern day treasure hunt. As a native Angeleno, I have fond lifelong memories of strolling the beaches, exploring tidepools and spending weeks on end at the beach. Thus my shells are a little representation of these dreamy times and a reminder to take a break and not go too long without spending time at the beach.

OBJECT 5: Trinket Tree & Rocks

The trinket tree is an array of keychains, jewellery, my late fathers brass bell collection, and other cute keepsakes that are dear to me. I wanted to find a cute way to display all of these and my partner Sarah, found this amazing

white barked stick on one of our travels and it seemed perfect. In this photo there is a very small portion of my rock collection. I spent almost a decade in Utah, in audio school and working, so I would spend my weekends in the desert hiking and digging for rocks. The top pink rock was the first gift my partner gave me after we visited a rock shop in Norcal and we called it the Bjork rock. It’s a pink/rose amethyst recently discovered in Brazil. It’s pink because of the presence of iron. I think knowing some of these specimens are centuries in the making and are direct results of elements coming together in a rare occasion that maybe only happened in one place in the world, feels so unique. Music is much like that with variables, for instance, I could have only made a certain song during a certain part of my life with the tools and timelines available. It feels really kismet.

Ephemeral Objects —09: Martyn

We live inside a culture that has monetized restlessness. The algorithm prioritizes novelty. The whole apparatus runs on the continuous production of ~next~. (Is this just a projection of my ADHD mind that always looks for the new? Yes, possibly, and no, absolutely not.)

There’s beauty in being devoted to anything. For Martyn, it’s a steadfast fidelity to music and the scene he’s been so integral to. All of these things he’s involved in are to build human infrastructure around what you love and to pass it on.

Martyn grew up in the Netherlands and, while in uni, became obsessed with mid-90s jungle and breakbeat music coming out of the UK. Buying records and throwing parties with friends in small bars and learning as they went along. The parties may have stopped, but what was born was a more self-assured form.

Fast forward to today. Martyn has lived in America long enough to understand what it means to build something without a safety net. His label, 3024, operates on the incredible strength of the music alone. And he’s given back to the community, passing on lessons from himself and other producers in his 3024 mentorship program and writing via his own newsletter, Four Things.

So what happens when you stay true to a version of yourself you formed in your late teens/early 20s in a field or a basement or a bedroom with headphones on? When you stay loyal to the music you fell in love with and then build a community around it?

Turns out, devotion is the whole point (it usually is). Martyn, basically.

In Ephemeral Objects —09, Martyn brings us 4 items that point to a long history within the scene and how sometimes the creative act is about relinquishing control.

Be sure to check out his label’s releases via Bandcamp, his newsletter, and mentorship program.

Look closer, stay a while

OBJECT 1:

“SUB SUB, WORDS WORDS” (SPACEAPE and KODE 9, photographed by GEORGINA COOK)

This object is important to me on several levels, first of all the subjects, it is a great photo of two people who are very dear to me, Kode has been a good friend and one of my staunchest supporters in the early days of my music making journey. And Spaceape was a good friend who was taken from us far too soon (he passed away in 2014). I often miss his smile, and lightheartedness and his intelligence, and the amazing conversations we had via Skype back in the day. The photo also signifies how close to death I feel myself sometimes, if that makes sense. Georgina Cook aka Drumz of the South who took the photo is to me one of the chroniclers of the dubstep scene from its inception. Her photos show she is both a music head and an artist with an exceptional eye. Lastly, I also love having artwork in the house that’s made by artists I know personally or who are close friends. It’s a nice feeling to be surrounded by so many inspired people.

https://www.instagram.com/georginaccook/

https://www.instagram.com/kode9/

OBJECT 2:

Religious Trinkets

Most of these come from traveling and touring. I’ve slowed down a lot with gigging but when my schedule was a lot busier I used to make a point of visiting churches, cathedrals and other religious sites wherever I went. It felt like a nice counterpoint to the fast paced life of hotels, airports, clubs ; to be able to enter a place of silence and devotion, where life unfolds along a different timeline, and where I would find a few moments to mentally recharge. I’m not tied to any religion or spiritual worldview but wherever you are among people on that wavelength - you feel the energy for sure. Art is the expression of individual and collective spirituality, and there’s so much amazing work made out of pure devotion, sometimes of an almost supernatural quality. I once went to see The Ecstacy of Saint Teresa in Rome and just could not believe I was looking at something made by a human being.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecstasy_of_Saint_Teresa

OBJECT 3:

Watercolor

A lot of my (recent) work, as a musician but also as a writer and mentor/teacher for others, is about process and workflow. In the early pandemic I started a mentoring program for musicians and while working on sessions and topics for the program, also started to examine my own creative process. What are the things that work for me to see projects through to the end, stay inspired, get into flow state etc. One of the things that’s central to my work is that music (or any art for that matter) is a daily practice rather than artists sitting around doing nothing until an idea comes to them. Every day, you engage with your work, stay focused and generate ideas. It doesn’t even matter whether ideas are good / bad, it matters that there is constant creation. When I was tired of making music for a while, I took on watercolor painting as a daily activity, together with my little daughter who was home during the pandemic. Just to stick to this very simple activity, and learn something every single day was so invigorating. It really helped me when going through a bit of a crisis, where I was teaching a lot but also saw my own personal musical ideas fade away. What I learned from painting (although I was never very good), is how you let the paint find its own way on the paper rather than trying to control it. You are the facilitator but the painting paints itself almost, similarly to how the best tunes almost write themselves. Some of the stuff I am most proud of as an artist, I literally have no recollection of how it came to be.

mentoring: https://martyn3024.com/mentoring

about flow state:

Four Things

Four Things #39

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a year ago · 24 likes · 4 comments · Martyn 3024

OBJECT 4:

KRACKFREE SOUNDSYSTEM Ceramic Hangers

These ceramic hangers were made by Nanda Smits, an artist who emerged from the same creative scene as myself and Jeroen Erosie (we do 3024 together), in Eindhoven, The Netherlands. They were made as promotional material for Krackfree Soundsystem, one of the country’s premier systems, also with very strong Eindhoven roots. You may have heard the system at Rupture in Melkweg Amsterdam or at Dekmantel’s The Nest stage. The guys who run the system are like brothers to us.. We did so many events together over the past three decades, from the most sketchy underground squat parties to large festivals. They’re always just a phone call away and I am so thankful for having a few people around me, across scenes, generations, genres whatever who I can rely on and who can rely on me. A little while ago we did a listening party for my album “Through Lines” - A nice warehouse space full of friends, the massive system Krackfree sound in all its glory and just a single turntable playing the record - it was such an amazing experience, I wish I could listen to my music in that setting all the time!

https://www.instagram.com/krackfree.soundsystem/

https://www.instagram.com/nandaspace/

Ephemeral Objects —08: Polygonia

There is a moment in Polygonia’s Mixmag interview last year where she talks about breaking free from the “deep techno” tag, and you realize she’s talking about what it means for her to stay alive as an artist. Living relationships, whether your own with music, with a particular scene, or with a cat that disrupts your workflow, require growth, change, and breathing room. Openness is the condition for that growth. The way to honor what you’ve built is to let it have life and become something neither you nor anyone else predicted.

Polygonia grew up a classically trained musician within a family of orchestra musicians while simultaneously spending years bouncing through hip-hop, drum and bass, dubstep, psytrance, jazz, and eventually techno (s/o Freqs of Nature Festival 2018), absorbing them all as different words in an ever-widening vocabulary. This distillation and filtering of styles with a classical music foundation resulted in someone who can code-switch between genres with genuine fluency and fluidity.

You can take a look at her excellent back catalog and see that it’s true, but some of Polygonia’s more recent releases drive the point home. When you hear her tracks on the brilliant “Cross Passage” collab/split EP with techno visionary Wata Igarashi, her 2-step remix for Bristolian bass music vanguard Peverelist’s Pulse VII, and her solo contribution to Japanese techno label Daybreak’s latest comp, it’s made abundantly clear that the more vocabularies you speak, the more interesting things you can say.

In Ephemeral Objects —08, Polygonia brings us 5 items that favor a creative practice rooted in living systems, physical interaction, and natural cycles.

Check out her Bandcamp for all the latest releases as well as the links below!

• Wata Igarashi & Polygonia – Cross Passage [Reclaim Your City]

• Polygonia – Focus [Daybreak Recordings]

• Peverelist – Pulse VII (Polygonia Remix) [Livity Sound]

• Polygonia @ Blitz Club, Munich for Mudd Show (

• Polygonia @ Beats in Space, Apple Music

Look closer. Stay a while.

“Object” 1

It’s actually two “objects” and I’d rather call them personalities ;) -> My cats. They are crucial to my creativity. They always manage to give me a quick smile, a soft interaction or a little break as they walk in front of my screen and force me to do something else like giving them food or play with them. Their presence always gives me a very positive mood. Their names are Flocke (German for flake) and Momo. They have completely contrary personality which makes the whole dynamic between them also very lovely to watch.

They round up my desire to have a natural environment in my home, I want it to feel like a tiny forest.

“Object” 2

I’m caring for many plants in my home, also more than one object but important to mention them as a group as well. I have most of them in my (home-)studio – I’ve built long relationships with several of them. I own some since ten years. They give me calmness and radiate a strong energy which connects me to nature.

Since I had to move this autumn, I had to reduce the number slightly. I had to give away two big ones which made my heart ache a bit. But I kept the most important ones and gave them some special positions so that we are in contact every day when I’m in my studio at home.

“Object” 3

Again a group of objects – it’s my acoustic instruments (not all of them included on the pics but some). It is very important for me to have them hanging outside so that I am able to play them at any moment. The haptic feeling which I get from playing acoustic instruments gives me a big rush and satisfaction. The vibration within their corpuses and the beautiful timbres feels like magic to me.

Also, with the instruments it’s a relationship which you build over time. With my violin I have the longest one, we already know each other since around 22 years. I already dreamed of it many times, the worst ones were when I accidentally lost it and was searching for it desperately throughout the whole night.

Also, I’m quite addicted to collecting ancient ones like the Chinese Er-Hu, the Xiao flute or the Armenian Duduk. Every instrument comes with a lot of history and own techniques. It’s super fascinating.

“Object” 4

My mechanical keyboard contributes to the quality of my working environment. I love the sound of it, it’s clicking very softly yet with strong character. I was already thinking of sampling it for a percussion at some point.

I chose the natural design to make it fit with my plants ;)

As I love shortcuts and keyboard control in general, my keyboard has to be on point.

“Object” 5

I got this little Totoro in Japan when I visited the Ghibli museum. Their movies are some of my very favorite movies since I’ve been a child. There is so much wisdom yet so much playfulness to find, kind of trippy as well. I feel as if my music was definitely also very inspired by their sound tracks and general aesthetics. Surreal yet emotional and full of little details.

It connects me to my Asian roots (I’ve always watched all the movies in Chinese actually) and adds to the nature touch as Totoro is also a creature which is directly connected to nature. It’s the main character of a film which carries its name, directed by Hayao Miyazaki, an absolute genius.

Ephemeral Objects —07: Escaflowne

Is there something perverse about making downtempo music in New York City? No, obviously not. But globalization, “all scenes and styles are happening simultaneously because of the internet”, and “NYC is a place you can get anything at any time” aside, we are talking about a place that runs on adrenaline and instant gratification. Where most are chasing the rocket-fuel of rave and the pneumatic thump of a pounding 4/4 future.

Brooklyn-based Escaflowne’s new album “Clouds” (the first proper long-player since 2021) arrives like a correction to that sentiment. After finding homes with HouseOfAltr, Sorry Records, Fixed Rhythms, and a run of sharp self-releases covering every tempo and style going, he chose to operate for this one at the 100 BPM crossroads. Perfect for a deliberate, head-nodding scan of the periphery. Here, slowed breaks a la trip-hop are supporting lush pads and delicate acid lines. There, a hypnotic reinterpretation of dancehall’s slow and heavy rhythms. It’s quite lovely.

Maybe this is all of us getting a bit older and realizing not everything needs to be a weapon (though contextualized correctly, there is certainly a weapon or two in here). And honestly, fair enough. The city keeps accelerating. Someone might as well ease on the gas.

In Ephemeral Objects —07, Escaflowne brings us 3 items that allow for the physical maintenance of his creative state.

Check out his Bandcamp and keep up to date with his upcoming shows.

• Be on the lookout for an to-be-announced, “not so chill”, New Years party in Brownsville, a couple 12”s next year if everything goes smoothly, and an electro/breakbeat self-release in January.

Object 1: My Studio Chair, Herman Miller Mirra 2

The object that is easily the most important part of my creative output and process. One that both dominates and aesthetically doesn’t fit in my creative space. My Studio chair. About 5 years ago I got a sweet deal on a Herman Miller Mirra 2 off FB marketplace and it’s been a game changer. I can literally sit in that chair all day without pain or discomfort, and I make almost all of my creative output sitting in that chair. It’s literally the foundational object of my creative process. So, If you have the means, please go buy yourself a nice studio/office chair. It might change your life.

Object 2: My preferred studio snacks

I love snacking when I’m having a long focused creative session. Also I’m literally more productive when I do so. Currently My prefered studio snack for the last year is reduced fat Triscuits. They’re not extremely unhealthy, have great texture, and are full of fiber. They will give you the calories you need to keep the session pushing and the fiber you need to keep your movements regular! When I’m feeling a more unhealthy option I gravitate toward quadratinis. Flavors depend on my mood and season. But, you can’t go wrong with vanilla, lemon or gingerbread during the winter months.

Object 3 :Mushroom Gummies

Easily the most mind expanding and pound for pound, the most influential creative object in my studio space are these psilocybin mushroom gummies. I think I’ve been microdosing psychedelics for about 10 years now. LSD for the first 7 years, Mushrooms for the last 3 years, and no other substance or activity I’ve partaken in has been more beneficial for abstract and pure creativity than microdosing. I’ve probably made 70-80% of my tracks over the last 6 years on some form of microdose. At this point in my life, its essential part of not just my creative process but mental health aswell.

Ephemeral Objects —06: Sobolik

Time and time again, Sobolik has demonstrated a penchant for bright and evocative synths atop a bed of heavy low-end, as well as a deft hand at intricate percussion that’s inspired by everything from the early 2010s UK underground (140 bass music) to hypnotic strains of 4/4 to downtempo.

They’ve brought this continuously refined and transportative sound to early reflex, 3024, Kindergarten, All Centre, and now most recently to Clasico Records with their Heavy Eyes EP.

In the title track of Heavy Eyes, the low-slung bass and effervescent synths take you to that magic hour (or magic minute, really) at 5:37 AM. The party has either evaporated or achieved critical mass, becoming something else entirely. Your feet are still moving, an autonomic response to the thrum still in your chest, but your mind is floating somewhere near the lights and lasers closer to the ceiling (most likely done by Nitemind).

Therein lies the magic of Sobolik’s music. The ability to “shell the dance” while translating a feeling. A specific, crystalline moment.

In Ephemeral Objects —06, Sobolik graciously brings us 4 items from their studio as well as a special mix that tells us how they find the divine in sound and creative community.

Check out their excellent new EP, Heavy Eyes, on Clasico Records and keep up with their latest shows via RA.

Object 01: Alice Coltrane — Journey in Satchidananda vinyl reissue

I’ve had this vinyl copy of Alice Coltrane’s “Journey in Satchidanada” since my senior year of high school. I bought it one weekend on a solo digging trip to Jazz Record Center in Chelsea—an incredible place to get lost in and uncover immense jazz albums you’ve never heard of. Before I was aware of much experimental or ambient stuff, this record really helped me connect a lot of dots between the things that moved me about jazz and electronic music. It has an entrancing quality like the best dance music, dub, and ambient. It’s all about the interplay between Cecil McBee’s hypnotic basslines, Coltrane’s washes of harmonic color, and Pharaoh Sanders’s rippling solos. For me, listening to this record is as easy as breathing. In that sense, it demonstrates the oneness between music and the rest of my lived experience. I keep the record in this special place because I know it’ll always be one of the most important pieces of music in my life, and I continually strive to someday conjure something as deep and resonant.

Object 02: Mr. Cheeks & Cinnamoroll

I like to keep plushie keychains hanging from this spot above my XDJ controller—they keep me company while I’m DJing at home. Mr. Cheeks was a lovely birthday gift this year from my friend Cindy (aka ciringe!!) and since the summer, he’s accompanied me to many raves and gigs. I love his secret stash pocket and he’s now imbued with some of my most special music memories from summer ’25, including the most glorious and historically significant Last Saturday Dance with Gigsta, the dreamy and anarchic Concréte 4th of July Philly pier renegade blowout, and Dawn Trails, the misty overnight beach rave I helped throw to celebrate my dear friend Nguyen (aka nguyendowsxp!)’s 30th birthday. It’s nice to have some of these memories with me while I craft mixes.

Object 03: Kaishandao USB baggie w/ ‘DIVA’ kandi charm

On my two-week tour in China this past May, I made some incredible memories with many brilliant people who hold it down out there. This included five incredible days I got to spend hanging out in Chengdu and playing with the .TAG crew. Kaishandao is the music project of Kristen Ng, an incredibly talented and kind soul who very graciously showed me around Chengdu a ton. We hung out at her local pool, ate bomb food, danced together and saw a mindblowing performance art piece, spent hours in a karaoke wormhole, and had some real heart-to-hearts. Kristen wears many hats, managing CDCR (Chengdu Community Radio) with a small team, booking for the local underground festival ChunYou, organizing tours for rock bands from her native New Zealand, and playing live sets all over the region. She’s one of those ‘energizer bunny’ type people you can find in any thriving small scene who help keep it all glued together. I was very inspired by her generosity, realness, and gregarious energy. This baggie was a bit of merch she did recently, a lovely gift I’ll hold onto to preserve the energy I got from her and all the Chengdu crew on my first ever international gig run. The ‘DIVA’ charm was made for me at my birthday hang, when I gathered friends at Mood Ring happy hour for cake and kandi making. I keep my USBs inside it every time I play.

Object 04: Icelandic rocks

These rocks are relics of a legendary winter break trip my college besties and I took over New Year’s 2018. We partied in Reykjavik on New Year’s Eve, then rented a car and drove across the country, stopping at waterfalls, geysers, glaciers, penguin habitats, and such. The volcanic “black sand” beach Reynisfjara was my favorite place we visited. It really feels like another planet. The shore there is dotted with massive black basalt sea stacks that shine like leather. All the sand is made out of the same stuff—billions of tiny volcanic rocks. I looked for a few nicely rounded ones and stuffed them in my backpack. Walking around this otherworldly landscape so far from home, with my two best friends in the world at either side, I knew I needed something to remember this moment by. I think going on that particular trip as a 20-year-old instilled some somatic understanding of the impermanence of my life next to the unfathomably slow tectonic progress of the planet.

Ephemeral Objects —05: Sam Binga

Throughout the life of the artist Sam Binga, he’s never been a one-man island. More welcoming pub booth than ivory tower, he thrives in company. His first release under the name was with another bass music journeyman, Om Unit, and his long list of collaborators often made his tracks feel like conversations. Even when working alone, you could hear the imagined others in the room.

His records have landed on forward-thinking outposts like Exit, Critical, and Astrophonica, and more recently, he’s been keeping his own label, Pineapple Records, well fed with a steady run of bass-heavy mischief. The new mixtape, Club Orthotics, is another cross-continental, fully collaborative collision with baille funk, Bmore, Jersey club, and drill all folded into his already messy, joyful arsenal.

The genres change like the weather, but Binga’s fingerprints are always there.

Sly. Heavy. Up for it.

In Ephemeral Objects –05, Sam Binga brings us items from his studio that recall memories that inform his strong visual aesthetic and remind him that music was always meant to travel.

Check out Pineapple Records (esp. the bangin’ new mixtape) and catch him this Saturday in London at Hootanany Brixton for the Zone 2 party with Addison Groove and Sister Zo.

Object 01: Pottery / Pointless Small Bowls

I really wanna learn how to actually do pottery, but due to insurmountable obstacles (lazy), this has not happened. I also would like to have a better relationship with my Mum - it’s not bad, but there’s only a few touch points we can really connect on, as she finds my ‘career’ to be a combination of baffling, confusing, and incomprehensible. Anyway, across the river near where she lives in East Yorkshire is a small independent arts type space, and visiting there is something we can both enjoy - she trained in fine art as a young’un, and took a lot of care when I was also a young’un to make sure I developed an appreciation for visual arts. I bought these on various trips to The Rope Works with her, and I have them in my bedroom as places to put random crap - headphone adaptors, a battery that may or may not be empty, half a strip of paracetamol. And I do genuinely love them.

Object 02: Photo of Chimpo / Benin Copper Leopard

I’ve done quite a lot of work with Arr Chimpz over the years. Sometime around ten years back (which, as I am 21, would have made me 11), I was playing in Boston for Elements (shout out Lenore), and someone presented this to me. Then, a couple of months later, he played the same party, and they gave him a framed picture of me. I’ve positioned mine to look over and provide calming guidance to my kitchen; and in case Chimpo isn’t enough to settle the demons, I’ve also got this amazing copper leopard from (I think) Benin, which is amazing

Object 03: Bianchi Bike / Mexican Puppet

Travelling on both a micro and macro scale (damn he fancy) is obviously a big part of my life. I treat meself to quite a fancy road bike while I was living in Manchester, but it’s only since being in Bristol that I’ve got proper regular use out of it - my studio is about a ten minute ride from my house, and it’s always super good fun bozzin along on the skinny tires of this lean green speed machine. In one pic, I’ve also decorated it with some kind of Mariachi puppet I was given by my friend Moises aka Sirius Soundz in Guadalajara on a tour he put together for me across Mexico. Moises also features on my current EP with Sister Zo - the track is called ‘Panda Beef’ and the whole EP is called ‘A Break From The Psychic Torment’ and I’m ngl, I’m pretty happy with both those titles #creative #visionary #elbinguero

Object 04: Candles

I’m not very good at self-domesticating. I only got into candles cos I did some recording and mix / mastering work with a guy who’s day job was running a perfume brand called Iiuvo - shouts to Leo! As well as paying me, he also sent over this scent, which rejoices in the name ‘Bullshit’ - it actually smells amazing, and allowed me to unlock a whole new level of bedtime ritual and relaxation. I also got sent this unique candle from Matt at Mr Thunder’s - it’s in a deliberately bashed up tin, with a metal lid you have to pry open with a spoon, and it’s the same colour and smell as Vick’s Vapour Rub, which is a wicked call-back to the early days of acid house, where people would rub it under their noses and on their (shirtless) chests, the idea being that the smell and nasal dilation properties enhanced the MDMA rush. I can’t speak for that side, but it does a great job of freshening the bathroom. Shouts to Matt!

Object 05: Pineapple / Rickshaw

Since running a label called Pineapple, I have acquired many replicas of said spiky yet juicy fruit. This one lives in my studio and probably does bad things to the stereo imaging - but sometimes, aesthetic charm can take precedence to perfection. The left speakers have a model rickshaw I was given on a trip to India, but I didn’t get a chance to take a pic. It does look almost exactly like this actual rickshaw I saw in Bangalore last year. You’ll have to ignore the dust - again, domestication is lacking both in studio and home situations.

Ephemeral Objects —04: No Sir

Brooklyn-based No Sir’s music runs on tension.

Coming up through the 3024 Mentorship Program and the Level Party crew, both equal parts found family and pressure chamber, No Sir learned how to sharpen their instincts. It gave them context and competition. Since then, the rest has followed naturally: releases on respected labels Woozy, 3024, Early Reflex, De la… je l’espère, DJ sets in the city’s most celebrated clubs, and a residency on the Lot Radio.

Their process? A bit chaotic with countless versions and an almost romantic attachment to “happy accidents.” It’s a method built on revision and failure; less a linear path and more a spiral. Tracks get chipped away at until all that’s left are the essentials.

It feels like a kind of surrender. Allowing the process to take precedence over the plan.

As if everything were an exercise in letting intuition lead form.

In this 4th edition of Ephemeral Objects, No Sir offers 3 items from their studio that carry weight and anchor them in their creative journey.

Go buy all of their music and listen to their mixes (especially the fantastic production mix on Untitled909).

If you’re in the NYC area, you can catch them at the shows below, and if you’re not, they're on the Lot Radio every first Monday of the month.

7/4 The Level Beach Party @ Rockaways

7/15 Concussion @ Bossa

7/18 Nowadays w Ayesha + Ploy

7/25 Kismet

Look closer. Stay a while.

Object 01: Medieval Sheet Music

I admittedly have a lot of stuff scattered around my studio area, so it was tough to narrow down some favorites, but this first one is undoubtedly up there. This sheet of medieval music notation was a birthday gift from one of my best friends and one of the most gifted antique hunters I know, Brian. It usually sits on my desk right behind my monitor in this plastic sleeve, but I love holding it up and seeing how the light illuminates the colors and little gaps where the paper is worn through. The score uses mensural notation, so it’s likely from sometime between the 13th and 17th century (if you’re a music historian, please @ me).

Besides reminding me of someone I love, there’s also just something nice about having an artefact around that to me represents the primordial act of music making and the evolution of how this art form is shared, especially in an age where music (and the production of it) is more accessible than ever. When this score was written, it could only have been circulated through performance or if the composer made copies by hand, which would have been extremely time-consuming. This might seem extremely obvious, but it still kind of blows my mind to think about.

Object 02: Techno (the cat)

This is my cat, Techno. I’m gonna go ahead and include her even though she’s not an object and she tends to be the most persistent obstacle in my music-making progress, at least when I’m able to set aside the time to sit and work for extended periods. That said, we’re really getting along right now, and for the most part, she’s learned to chill out when she’s in my lap during a session, rather than gnaw on my arm or chew up cables.

Object 03: Stan Brakhage Anthology + Michelangelo Antonioni’s Red Desert

When I was growing up, I used to go to this video rental store called Video Adventure. When it closed, they sold off all their DVDs for super cheap, so I ended up with a ton of old movies and TV box sets. I haven’t had it in me to pawn all of them off yet, so sometimes during a rainy day or late-night session, I’ll put on something I’ve already seen in the background to kind of set a vibe. These are two of my favorites.

The first is an anthology of works by experimental filmmaker Stan Brakhage. For me, these pieces are perfect for listening to or making music. They have no sound or dialogue, and are all really textural and dreamlike - many of them feel more like mixed media collages than short films.

Red Desert is an Italian film that I’ve seen countless times and is undoubtedly one of my favorites. It’s much less interested in excess than Antonioni’s other films (which I still love) and speaks mainly through color, atmosphere, composition, and a perfect leading performance from Monica Vitti. There’s just something entrancing about it, and in my opinion, it perfectly captures this feeling of inescapable alienation within an increasingly industrial world, which despite all its quiet horrors can still be really beautiful and fascinating. I feel like I’m often trying to express a similar feeling through music.

Ephemeral Objects —03: Kellen303

In the dimly lit corridors of New York City's underground, Kellen303 is sonically mapping the subconscious of a city in flux. After more than a decade deep in NYC’s serpentine club scene, he crafts tracks that are as much about place as they are about psyche; cinematic, percussive, and soaked in the surreal.

Drawing from the tactile textures of grime, the frenetic energy of footwork, the hypnotic rhythms of gqom, and the mechanical soul of techno, Kellen303 filters his influences through abstraction to produce something stripped back, ice cold, and dreamlike (in the Lynchian sense). This specific approach to sub-zero and paranoid sonics has found him releasing on labels like Keysound Recordings, SPE:C, Woozy, Unknown-Untitled, and, eventually, his own OFFWRLD imprint.

He’s played at venues pivotal to the NYC scene like Nowadays, Bossa Nova Civic Club, as well as Berlin’s Paloma Bar, where his sets push and pull the dancer, filling the space with tension and release.

For this 3rd edition of Ephemeral Objects, Kellen303 brings us something different. Instead of individual objects, he brings us 4 rooms and the music he’s created in those spaces, effectively reframing the word “object” from the micro to the macro.

Come celebrate the 3rd Anniversary of OFFWRLD at NYC’s Earthly Delights on Saturday, May 10th. This momentous occasion is a nod to where it all started, as well as a glimpse of the future with music from Blumitsu, Dusk
& Blackdown (of Keysound Recordings), Sheepshead b2b Eva Loveless and Kellen303 b2b Empyrean.

Look closer. Stay awhile.

Kellen303’s 4 Rooms

Room 1:

When I lived in Brooklyn, my living room was the place I made music. I would wake up around 10 AM, make a pot of coffee, drink it black, and work at a desk that faced a wall on the far side [drawn]. For me, this section of the apartment had limited distractions, and everything flowed. I made the “WHB” EP here, there may be a correlation between the strict ritual and the “strict” on-grid patterns on this release.

Room 2:

When I moved to Washington Heights, I picked a bedroom that faced a sunlit alleyway. I remember thinking, “set the decks in front of the window and look out for inspiration”. I was left a comfy blue chair from the previous tenants, which pulled my creativity together.

For the Unknown - Untitled release, having a window to look at for inspiration. The patterns the sunlight made crossing the alley through fire escapes, seeing neighbors below, and the shape of the buildings.

Room 3:

My apartment also had roof access, which was amazing in the summer! I would sit in the sky and draw inspiration from these two buildings in the distance. I don’t know what happens in them, I don’t want to know, haha. Their mystery has a “Blade Runner” type feel that really resonates with me.

For the SPE:C release - I sat on the roof and made Risky. It was in the summer, the weather was perfect - not scorching hot. Breezy. The melody of the track is a little haunting, but I feel it captures “the weightless” “sitting in the sky” feeling. The track floats with few percussive instruments.

Room 4:

In the same apartment, I now live in the middle room. My windows look out to the same alley, but my view is a brick wall. There is no more sun. My blue chair became worn over the years, so I tossed it. Roof access, gone. It also doesn’t help that a construction crew has been working on my building for the past three months. I wake up to saws, drills, and hammers every morning at 8 AM.

After lacking inspiration for months, I decided to move my desk to my bed when I want to produce. Going with the sounds around me, I’ve started incorporating more industrial/noise sounds into my music.

Ephemeral Objects —02: Om Unit

Somewhere in the thick of Bristol’s storied music scene, Om Unit—Jim Coles—is hard at work, carving out new paths from old rhythms.

Before Om Unit, there was 2tall, a hip-hop kid with fast hands, cutting up records in DMC battles. In 2010, a pivot was made, fusing jungle, footwork, and dub into something new. Releases on Exit, Metalheadz, and Tempa cemented his status as one to watch, while collaborations with the legendary dnb producer DJ Krust pushed things even further; ‘Underground Cinema’ is an eight-minute epic that saw DJ Krust’s synth and FX work push autonomic drum and bass to new heights.

But it wasn’t just about his own music. In 2011, he launched Cosmic Bridge, a label built for the in-between spaces where dubstep, footwork, and jungle collided. A cult favorite, it quickly became trusted for delivering boundary-pushing bass music. He also slipped into other skins, reviving jungle through the lens of footwork as Philip D Kick, and later joining the heavyweight Richie Brains collective for a single, chaotic snapshot of future-facing (not really but really) drum & bass.

He kept it pushing, dropping ‘Acid Dub Studies’ in 2021, a record soaked in space and sub-bass, a nod to the past with a drastically fresh take..

And now? He’s returned with a fifth instalment of his best-selling ‘Acid Dub Studies’ series. ‘Acid Dub Studies III’ arrives after 2 years of touring the material in a live setting at festivals and clubs including CTM at Berghain, Les Nuits Sonores, and Andrew Weatherall's Convenanza festival and is the culmination of some 5 years of experimenting with a style that has been met with critical acclaim, reaching far and wide into many a DJ’s box having been noted by some as a truly ground-breaking approach to working with the 303.

For this second edition of Ephemeral Objects, Om Unit brings us three items from his studio, each playing a vital role in his creative process.

Listen to his excellent Acid Dub Studies III, check out his tour dates (if you’re in Berlin on the day of this post, 4.3, see him present Acid Dub Studies tonight at OHM), and listen to his recent standout set at New York City’s Nowadays.

Look closer. Stay a while.

Object 1: Ganesha Statue

- My friend Sam Binga was in India and I asked him to get me a ganesha statue and so he brought this back with him. I love Ganesha so much because he represents new beginnings and clearing the way. My whole music career has been about chapters of re-situating myself into new territories like a nomad which takes some degree of skill and patience. I like to think that having this deity up front in my studio helps focus that idea of 'clearing the way' for new beginnings and also for creativity in general. He rides on the 'dashboard' of the studio kind of like a cab driver might have a good luck charm in their cab.

Object 2: Shitty print out of Admiral Ackbar

- Admiral Ackbar has been one of my favourite Star Wars characters since I was a kid. I love Star Wars so much (even most of the modern era Disney stuff) and its lore has permeated a lot of my existence in some ways even to the point of connecting with Joseph Campbell's mythology documentaries. Campbell consulted on the original Star Wars lore with George Lucas in the early makings of it and so his wisdom is infused into the canon.The picture sits up on the wall to remind me that whenever I fall prey to making music for a perceived 'market' or feel pressured to be creative for 'career's sake'... "IT"S A TRAP"

Object 3: Palo Santo

- I have a piece of Palo Santo wood that DJ Krust gave me about 10 years ago when we were working on Underground Cinema. Krust's music influenced me hugely as a youth in the 90's and it was truly an honour to work with him and hang in the studio a bit back then too. He introduced me to CBD plant medicine too, which was life-changing for me at the time and a tool that I use to this day fairly regularly to deal with stress and anxiety sometimes. I occasionally burn a little bit [of Palo Santo] in the studio just to reset and ground the vibe in there as I find the earth tone of the scent of it is quite emotionally stabilising and resetting.

Ephemeral Objects —1: Ghost Phone

Ghost Phone emerged in 2019, anonymous and untethered, smuggling sensuality back into the rave. In an era of hyper-digital excess, they deal in slowness, groove, and the echoes of R&B and rap, warped into something built for the club, rich with longing.

From being a member of CrazyLegs and Idle Hands to playing Corsica Studios and Panorama Bar, the Bristol-based producer, DJ, and curator’s musical history runs deep.

For this first edition of Ephemeral Objects, Ghost Phone has truly pulled out all the stops by giving us a free download of his track C, inspired by his mum. This track can be found on his latest (and extremely sold out) Missed Calls From Paradise mixtape on Berceuse Heroique.

Check out his Bandcamp for all the goodies and if you’re in North Holland on March 29, go catch him at NAR in Utrecht.

Look closer. Stay a while

OBJECT 1: PHOTOS OF MY MUM AND DAD

MY DEAR MUM AND DAD, SO MUCH MORE THAN JUST AN OBJECT. THEY ARE SADLY NO LONGER WITH US WHICH MAKES THESE PHOTOS EVEN MORE POIGNANT.

LIKE MY LABEL HAPPY SKULL BEFORE IT, GHOST PHONE INADVERTENTLY BECAME A LIGHT HEARTED TAKE ON MORTALITY AND THE AFTERLIFE. I WASN’T CONSCIOUS OF IT AT THE TIME BUT I NOW REALISE THAT MY APPROACH TO MUSIC AND MY VISUAL AESTHETIC IS INCREDIBLY PERSONAL AND VERY MUCH A COPING MECHANISM TO HELP ME DEAL WITH THE HARSH REALITY OF LOSS AND GRIEF.

IF I’M BEING HONEST, I FELT ANGRY AND HARD DONE BY FOR A LONG TIME BUT I WAS ABLE TO GRADUALLY TURN SOMETHING UNFORTUNATE INTO A SOURCE OF INSPIRATION AND STRENGTH. NOW I JUST LET THE MELANCHOLIA SEEP INTO WHAT I DO AS AN ARTIST AND LET IT SHAPE MY SOUND. ULTIMATELY AND SOMEWHAT IRONICALLY, I THINK THAT’S ONE OF THE THINGS PEOPLE LIKE ABOUT IT THE MOST.

I’VE ALWAYS TRIED TO STRADDLE THE LINE BETWEEN JOY AND SADNESS BECAUSE THAT’S HOW I FEEL WHEN I THINK ABOUT MY PARENTS, THEIR PASSING HAS INFLUENCED ME AS AN ARTIST AND AS A PERSON ALMOST AS MUCH AS THE LOVE AND SUPPORT THEY SHOWED ME WHEN THEY WERE HERE. EVERYTHING I DO CREATIVELY IS WITH THEM IN MIND.

OBJECT 2: ASTRO

ONE OF MY PET TORTOISES, ASTRO aka ASTRO B (I’VE NO IDEA WHAT THE ‘B’ STAND FOR BTW) LIVES IN THE SPARE ROOM WHERE MY MODEST STUDIO SET UP IS. I’M NOT A NATURALLY TECHNICAL THINKER SO LEARNING TO MAKE MUSIC HAS BEEN A REAL JOURNEY (THAT IS STILL ONGOING MAY I ADD) AND MY DARGGG ASTRO B HAS BEEN WITH ME EVERY STEP OF THE WAY. WHEN I WAS WORKING ON THE “MISSED CALLS FROM PARADISE” TAPE, I USED HIM AS A LIL VIBE CHECK. IF HE WAS STOMPING AROUND, ALL ACTIVE, EATING GREENS AND LIVING HIS BEST LIFE. THEN I KNEW I WAS ON TO SOMETHING.

BUT IN ALL SERIOUSNESS, KEEPING TORTOISES HAS BROUGHT ME MORE PEACE THAN I EVER THOUGHT THEY WOULD. THEY HAVE SO MUCH CHARACTER, IT’S HARD TO FEEL STRESSED AROUND ANIMALS SO ANCIENT AND CHILL. THEY REMIND TO SLOW DOWN AND THAT LIFE ISN’T A RACE.

**HONOURABLE SHOUT OUT TO THE CATS, I LOVE YOU GUYS TOO!

OBJECT 3: SCENTED CANDLES

EVEN IF I LOOK LIKE SHIT, I LIKE TO SMELL GOOD. I ALSO LIKE THINGS AROUND ME TO SMELL GOOD TOO. DURING COVID LOCKDOWN, I WORE COLOGNE EVERY DAY. AS A MATTER OF PRINCIPLE. I LIKE TO LIGHT A SCENTED CANDLE WHEN I WORK ON MUSIC AS IT HELPS TO SET THE MOOD.

OBJECT 4: DJING / VINYL / MY TURNTABLES

WHEN IT COMES TO MAKING TUNES, DJING STILL PLAYS A HUGE PART IN MY CREATIVE PROCESS. I MEAN, I’M A DJ FIRST AND FOREMOST, I’VE BEEN DOING IT FOR OVER HALF OF MY LIFE. WHEN I GET BORED OF STARING AT A SCREEN OR NEED FRESH INSPIRATION, I BOUNCE OUT WHATEVER I’M WORKING ON, GET IT ON THE CDJS AND JUST START DJING WITH IT.

JAMMING RANDOM TUNES OVER THE TOP, CHOPPING BITS IN, LOOPING INTROS, PITCHING THINGS UP AND DOWN. EVEN IF IT’S ALL OUT OF TIME, IT DOESN’T MATTER. IT GIVES ME A SENSE OF WHERE THINGS ARE SITTING SONICALLY BUT ALSO GIVES ME IDEAS FOR POTENTIAL VOCAL SNIPS, RIFFS AND RHYTHMIC ELEMENTS. IT FEELS QUITE PRIMITIVE BUT I ALWAYS SEEM TO REVERT BACK TO WHAT I KNOW BEST.

OBJECT 5: DILLA TIME BY DAN CHARNAS (AND OTHER BOOKS)

I LIKE READING MUSIC-RELATED BOOKS, MUSIC HISTORY, BIOGRAPHIES, WHATEVER TAKES MY FANCY. I’M NOT ALWAYS IN THE RIGHT HEADSPACE TO READ BUT RECENTLY I’VE BEEN READING A FAIR BIT AND IT ALWAYS REMINDS ME HOW INSPIRATIONAL I’VE FOUND CERTAIN BOOKS.

I RECENTLY FINISHED A BOOK ABOUT J.DILLA AND AS SOON AS IT WAS DONE I SPENT A WHOLE WEEK TRYING TO MAKE CLASSIC HIP HOP BEATS. I ALSO FIND PEOPLE FASCINATING, SO AS MUCH AS I LIKE TO READ ABOUT CREATIVITY AND PROCESS, I ALSO LIKE TO GET AN INSIGHT INTO WHO THEY ARE AND WHAT MOTIVATES THEM AS HUMAN BEINGS.

How do the objects we overlook, the ones that fade into the background of daily life, shape us and our art? In Ephemeral Objects, we begin to explore this question.

We often talk about creativity in terms of tools, what software was used, what synth shaped the sound, but rarely about the atmosphere that surrounds it. The objects in a space, the rituals we keep before and after creating, the way a room feels before anything is made. They shape the headspace, color the air, and, in their own way, leave an imprint on whatever comes next.

This is about exploring those invisible currents, how a place, a feeling, a collection of unnoticed artifacts can shape what gets made. Because if something alters the mood of the room, it alters everything created within it.

Welcome to Ephemeral Objects. Look closer. Stay a while.